


II of Pentacles

by cubedcoffeecake



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Book XXI: The World (The Arcana) Spoilers, Domestic Fluff, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Julian Devorak Route - Upright Ending, Nonbinary Apprentice (The Arcana), Other, Vesuvian Pride 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24597901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cubedcoffeecake/pseuds/cubedcoffeecake
Summary: "I'm worried we're just a step away from running out of energy," Lucky confessed. They blinked slowly, holding Julian's warm gaze and feeling something inside melt at the understanding and affection in it.
Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak
Kudos: 16





	II of Pentacles

Lucky had always considered themselves a fairly organized individual. Though they did let Asra leave the shop a mess, and were probably just as guilty as he was of allowing the shop's hours to be laughably unpredictable, they never would've expected time management to replace the Devil as their greatest frustration.

Two weeks post-Masquerade and… wow. To be fair, not everything had descended into chaos. Asra had found his parents meandering along the streets one day, apparently freed from the Devil's chains, and the three happily moved into the Palace without a hitch. He insisted that the shop belonged to Lucky now, and took up the role of Court Magician, Aisha and Salim supporting him every step of the way.

Portia's replacement stepped into her role without any major catastrophe. Lucky still wasn't quite sure what her new role was, though; so far, she had just been spending a lot of time personally assisting Nadia. It was working out well, whatever they were doing.

Valerius had actually been cooperating with Nadia, reordering the Court so that it was not made up of demons and idiots. The Countess had even managed to drag him into reopening projects to improve the city's canals.

No, the mess was really just restricted to Julian and Lucky.

Half of Julian's things were at his apartment in the depths of the South End, while the rest had meandered into the shop, keeping it as comfortingly cluttered as Asra always had. He could never find anything though, always running between his apartment, clinic, and the shop in a desperate race as he worked to open up decent medical care for the poorer parts of the city.

Meanwhile, Lucky split their time between keeping the shop open, trying to assist Julian, and wandering along the shore of the sea caught up in a whirlwind of contemplation. There had been no time after…  _ everything _ , to process any of it.

And loathe as Lucky was to be the one questioning their relationship, they had barely had a moment of peace with Julian to discuss anything. Literally anything. He had faced the Devil with them—they weren't concerned about his fidelity or interest or anything; but they had their own private fears skittering around in their heart and everyone was getting so caught up in this beautiful bustle of life following the word nearly ending that Lucky was a bit dizzy with it all. Was a bit of a break too much to ask?

They woke up to the sound of a raven screaming and the soft, gentle light of a new day.

"Malak, hush! Lucky is  _ sleeping _ , you useless loaf of feathers, and you're going to wake them up—" He turned to gesture at where they lay curled in the blankets and paused, blushing when he saw their eyes cracked open.

"Ah, very terribly sorry my dear, I didn't mean to wake you," he murmured. They smiled affectionately and sat up a bit.

"I'm glad you did. I would've missed seeing you off."

He grinned and leaned down to peck their cheek before turning back to his boots.

"Well, I'll be off to the clinic till supper, I expect. If you need anything just swing by, you know I can always make time for you."

Lucky knew he meant it, but as they watched Malak knock over a jar of leeches they had an idea.

"How about this—you have the clinic all closed up by sundown, I come pick you up, and we go down to the Raven for a bite to eat?"

Julian glanced over, features brightened with surprise.

"Why, that sounds like a proper date!" He waggled his eyebrow. "Trying to make me respectable, eh?"

While they knew he was joking, Lucky felt a sudden lump in their throat. A tickle they recognized as the urge of their intuition. They hated letting things go unsaid, so why not go for it?

"I. Uh. I actually just want some peace for an evening." Julian stilled and Lucky rushed on without looking at his expression. "I know the Raven isn't exactly the calmest place, I just mean that we've both been so busy?

"I love going to the marketplace and getting swept up in the colors and movement and clamor, and the shop is my favorite place in the world and I really don't mind customers, and I enjoy coming to visit you at the clinic, and dropping by the palace to offer my piece about whatever they're meeting over today, but I feel like it's so  _ much _ at once.

"A moon ago I hardly left the shop, and now I'm surrounded by so much life that it's a bit overwhelming. I don't…"

Here was the hard part.

"I don't think I'm ready yet. I think I'm trying to do too much at once. And I thought. You might feel that way too?"

Lucky kept their eyes fixed on Malak, hoping that they appeared to just be absorbed in watching his antics. They heard a few measured footfalls before Julian was sitting back down on the bed beside them.

"I think I know what you mean," he said slowly. His tone was genuine and thoughtful and Lucky released a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.

"We jumped right back into life as normal the moment we got back, didn't we?" he asked gently. Julian brought a hand up to rest on Lucky's cheek and turned their face toward him, smiling at them adoringly.

"It's amazing we've been juggling so much without burning out, now that I think of it."

"I'm worried we're just a step away from running out of energy," Lucky confessed. They blinked slowly, holding Julian's warm gaze and feeling something inside melt at the understanding and affection in it.

"Well then. Let's do something about that, shall we?" he whispered. "The Raven at sundown?" Their lips were a hairbreadth apart.

"Mhmm." Lucky closed the gap.

"It'll be perfect—we can plot a grand adventure over Salty Bitters. An escape to go vacationing; a well-deserved prize for saving the world," he suggested, words muffled against Lucky's lips.

"An adventure?" Lucky laughed, hazel eyes sparkling.

"Yes! I'll take you everywhere. And when we find ourselves yearning for the warmth of home, we'll turn around and come back to being neighborhood heroes."

"That's a mighty big promise."

They were both grinning widely, lips still pressed together. Lucky felt like they were falling in love with him all over again.

"Yes, well; it's a mighty big world."

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the @vesuvianpride event on Tumblr.  
> Week One: Color Theory  
> Red - Life (passion, desire, love)
> 
> You can find more information about my apprentice and the adjusted II of Pentacles I drew to accompany this drabble on my Tumblr, @cubedlikescookies.
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


End file.
